Home Sport Cricket Proteas restrict Bangladesh to 194/9 in second ODI

Proteas restrict Bangladesh to 194/9 in second ODI

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Stuart Hess
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Temba Bavuma of South Africa during the 2022 2nd Betway ODI match between South Africa and Bangladesh at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 20 March 2022. Picture: Muzi Ntombela, BackpagePix

Kagiso Rabada’s second One-Day International ‘five-fer’ saw South Africa limit Bangladesh to less than 200.

Johannesburg – Kagiso Rabada’s second One-Day International ‘five-fer’ saw South Africa limit Bangladesh to less than 200 on Sunday, in one of the more bizarre innings’ seen at the Wanderers in a long time.

Bangladesh chose to bat, slumped to 34/5, South Africa, which made three changes to the team that lost the first match, saw one of those players, Wayne Parnell go off injured after bowling just 13 balls.

That meant Temba Bavuma had to bowl six overs, but then he got injured and couldn’t complete the final over of that 10-over ration and Rassie van der Dussen ended up bowling the 49th over and took a wicket in the process.

When things were still somewhat normal earlier, Rabada produced a stunning opening spell, which floored the Bangladeshi top order. There was no opportunity for them to take the patient approach that worked so well in Centurion on Friday, as it turned into a procession in the first hour.

On a pitch where the new ball bounced appreciably, Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das and Shakib Al-Hasan were all dismissed with deliveries that bounced more than they had anticipated.

Rabada was unerringly accurate and the ball that got rid of Das, was simply impossible to play; it veered in at the right-hander and even as he swayed to get out of the way the ball kept following, and nicked off his glove.

Bangladesh looked like they would struggle to make 150, but Mahmadullah and the very impressive young left-hander Afif Hossain, came to the touring team’s rescue with a 60-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

South Africa had lost Parnell, who had taken his first international wicket in five years, to a hamstring injury, which meant Bavuma had to bowl. To the South African captain’s credit, he did a stellar job, maintaining a straight stump to stump line, while his length was good enough to draw the touring team’s batters forward.

Tabraiz Shamsi picked up Mahmadullah’s wicket, with Janneman Malan, who dropped two simple catches, taking the first of two difficult ones, by moving cleverly to his left at leg slip.

Afif and Mehidy Hassan then changed the momentum of the innings, with a superb seventh wicket partnership of 86 for the seventh wicket. The pair balanced aggressive shot-making with some smart running between the wickets.

Keshav Maharaj struggled with his rhythm throughout and at one stage he started an over with a no ball, and followed it with two wides.

The two Bangladeshi batters, who last month shared a match-winning seventh wicket stand of 174 to rescue their team from a precarious position of 45/6 against Afghanistan looked set for a similar trick on Sunday.

But Bavuma, who had to leave the field for treatment to his hand after diving into Mehidy while trying to field the ball of his own bowling, went back to Rabada.

In the 46th over – Rabada’s last and with concern growing over who would have to bowl the 10th over of that Parnell ration – the Proteas spearhead delivered. He dismissed Afif, who top edged a pull for 72 – an innings that included nine fours – and then had Mehidy caught at mid-on by a diving Malan for 38.

It was Rabada’s second ODI ‘five-for’ – the other was also against Bangladesh on his ODI debut – and he finished with 5/39.

Van der Dussen for good measure picked up Shoriful Islam in the 49th over, and delivered a muted celebration as substitute fielder Aiden Markram, completed an easy catch on the long-on boundary.

@shockerhess

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